Spending more time looking at gear than making music

[sanji99]

How many people find they are spending more time looking at gear and VSTs than making music? When it happens, does that mean something?

[Danny Wyatt]

I would say 99% of people hahaha

To me what that means is that people don't have deadlines and they have too much stuff that distracts them.

That's one of the reasons I stopped downloading/buying new plugins, samples, etc, a few years ago and decided to go 99% stock plugins, exploring them as much as possible. Once you limit yourself (and you have deadlines to deliver your music), you become more productive and more creative.

But that's just my opinion

[Glenn L.]

Yeah, I was just looking at a Blüthner piano, a la McCartney Let It Be vintage, but €200 for something I don't need is silly. I've got a few very good grand pianos.

My vice is guitars. I love nice guitars. I shouldn't be bothered, because I have 13-14 very nice guitars. I should just enjoy them, same thing with all the VIs I have.

[Spiralsurfer]

How many people find they are spending more time looking at gear and VSTs than making music? When it happens, does that mean something?

 

I've definitely been guilty of this far too often. Even when I recognise it for what it is, procrastination, I still get caught up in it! It's far too easy to think that a new plugin or piece of gear will improve your music when in reality the only thing that will actually improve your music is time and effort with what you already have. Easy to say but not so easy to do sometimes! I've been sidetracked by looking at many new virtual instruments and sample libraries. It's not all bad though - the positive side is that whenever I'm lacking inspiration all I have to do is open a few of the latest libraries I've bought and within minutes I'll hear something that will spark an idea.